Bean grader



April 2,1995. 5, I, BUCK 1,996,190

BEAN GRADER I Filed Dec. 30, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W Wot/M1 35 April 2, 1935. B, BUCK 1,996,190

' BEAN GRADER Filed Dec. 30, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 71 V 1 4 ,13 v 1/ mnunnmumm |u|umn\\\\\ Berg 251121 131. B oec71j.

Patented Apr. 2, 1935 I l i UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE- BEAN GRADER I J Bienjaminrl. Buck, Baltimore, Md. Application cem er, 1932', Serial No. 649,641 :6 Claims. (01. 209 s50) This. invention relates to improvements in maseries. -Means are also provided for agitating the chines for grading :beans and particularly for beans at practically all times and especially while sorting or grading, :as themes-sectional:size, beans they are in contact with the several surfaces to commonly known as string beans. 3 a facilitate passage of beans through the several 5 One object of theinuentionisto provide agrad- .sets of perforations. I 7

ing machine of exceedingly simple construction. In the specific embodiment of the invention Another object is to'prov-ido'amachine having illustrated in the accompanying drawingathere any desired number of what, for convenience, is a main supporting frame, comprising .a pluwill be termed grading units, whereby beans .may reality of rigid uprights or standards it and in 10 be sorted into any desired number of grades. the top of said frame there is an opening H '10 Astill'further object is to provide anovel form through which the beans are fed from a chute of means for collecting the individual grades of l2. Below said feed opening there are aplurality beansas they are sorted or graded in the machine. of vertically spaced grading members inthe form A further object is to provide a bean grading of perforated plates or surfaces, l3, |4, l5 and It,

35 machine wherein thebeans being handled are preferably of conical cross section so that beans substantially constantly agitated but in :a manner falling thereon and incapable of passing through whereby they cannot possibly be mashed, bruised the perforations i? will gradually move toward or otherwise destroyed. I the peripheries of the plates, where theywill be With these ando-thcr objects in view, the :incollected ,as. hereinafter described. Preferably,

2 vention consists incertain details of construction but not necessarily,'the perforations the several.

and combinations and arrangements of parts, all plates or surfaces are of diiierent size, the upas will hereinafter be more fully described and permost plate having the largest perforations, the novel features thereof particularly. pointed while the smallest perforations are in the lowerou-t int-he appended claims. A construction con- -most, as shown inFig. Lit-being understood that .25 stituting the preferred embodiment of invenbeans are graded according to their cross-see.- .25

tion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, ,tional size, and not length, so that theperforaforming part f th p cifica ion. in which: tions need only vary in width' Beans passing Eigurel is a vertical sectional View .of one form through the perforations of .all except the lowerof apparatus embodying the preferred -embodi-- most plate are directed toward the next lower ment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view .on the line the form of inverted cone-shaped members l8, 2-.-2 of Fig. 1.; p 1 whose bases are cut away to permit the beans-.560 Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 33 of Fig. l; fallen the nextlower perforated surface. There Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view onthe line may be as many perforated plates as is desired, 5 44 of Fig.2, illustrating the mode of discharging dependingupon thenumber of grades into which graded beans from-one of the collecting troughs; the beans are to be sorted. The beans passing Fig. 5 is apers-pective view .of one .of the sections through the lowermost'plate it are received on of the collapsible bottom of a collecting trough; a plate it, similar to plates l3 to it, except it is Fig. v6 is alsectional View on the line 6+5 of not perforated. v Fig. 1; Better results are obtained if the beans are 4 Fig.7 illustrates portions of the several grading agitated on the surfaces of the various plates. Surfaces; and This is preferably accomplishedim the case of Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken at'right plates 13 to 16, by imparting a vibratory moangles 170 illustrating the drivin mciltion to said plates. In the present machineythe a plates are mountedon a shaft 2.0,, each I plate Generally, the present invention [comprises a having hub portion 2| with a crosspintl, exseries of vertically spaced perforated surfaces, the tending through the shaft, and each hub. perforations in the several surfaces being of dif Shaft 2!) is enclosed in a sleeve 22, and the ferent size, and means for separatelycollecting shaft and sleeve are rotatable in bearings 23 by. from each surface the beans which aretoo large to a, gear 24, on shaft 25, s gear meshing ith pass through the perforations therein.- The beans a gear 25 fast on the. sleeve. Fast and loose are fed to the uppermost surface, the beanswhich pulleys, 21, 28, are provided on shaft 25, power pass through the perforations that surface bebeing delivered from a suitable source through ing delivered to the next lower surface until the the fast pulley. The cross pins 3| extend through i smallest of the beans reach the last surface oithe slots in sleeve 22 and the. shaft 29 is adapted to plate by radially inwardly inclined surfaces ;in

be reciprocated in the sleeve by means of. a lever 29 pivotally mounted on the frame base 30, one end of said lever engaging the lower end of the shaft and the other end of said lever being provided with a cam roller 32 which engages a cam surface 33 on the under face of gear 28. To fur- As heretofore described, the beans that cannot pass through the perforations of any one plate move radially outward toward the periphery. of that plate and are collected separately from all the remaining beans. Preferably, the means for collecting the beans from each plate consists of a revolving trough from which the beans are transferred to a chute which delivers them to a suitable receptacle or reservoir. Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, each trough comprises inner and outer side walls 36, 31, connected by cross bars 38, and the inner wall 35 is mounted on the arms 39 of a spider whose hub 40 is attached to sleeve 22. The bottom wall of the trough is composed of a multiplicity of sections 4| hinged or pivoted in the side walls 36, 37, the several sections being supported throughout the major portion of the travel around the perimeter of the plate by a way 42, mounted on brackets 43. At any desired number of points, however, the way is cutaway, as shown in Fig. 4,

and beneath each cut away portion there is a chute 44, the width and depth of the chute being 'into the chute. The end of the way with which the tripped sections come in contact as they move across the chute may be rounded or beveled as at 45, to facilitate restoring the sections to normal horizontal position on the way. One or more arms 39, of each spider also carries a wiper 46 which assists in moving the beans on the surfaces of the inverted conical surfaces l8.

In operating the apparatus, the beans are fed through hopper l2 on to the upper revolving surface l3. Those beans which are too large to pass through the perforations I! in that plate, m'ovedownthe inclined surface, radially outward from the shaft and sleeve carrying the plate and fall from the edge of'the plate into the revolving trough, from whence they are deposited in the uppermost chute 44 as the sections of the trough bottom move across the chute when the way 42 is cut away.

The beans which pass through the perforations in plate l3 are received in the uppermostinverted conical member l8 whose radially inwardly sloping surface directs them onto the next lower perforated surface I4. The beans too large to pass through the perforations of this plate are received in the trough and delivered to the chute at'the edge of said plate.

' Beans passing through plate M are received on an inverted conical surface l8 and delivered to the next lower perforated surface l5 where the next grade of bean is segregated in like manner while the remaining beans passing through the perforations in said surface fall on another inverted conical member l8 and are delivered to the lowermost perforated plate I 6. Here the next to the smallest beans are sorted out. Those beans which are so small that they will pass through the perforations of plate It, fall on plate l9 and are delivered from the apparatus by the lowermost chute 44. As hereinbefore stated, there may be as many perforated plates as desired.

In addition to the perforated plates being revolved, they are also being reciprocated vertically during the entire operation, whereby the beans are constantly agitated. At the same time, the beans are also under the influence of the several wipers 34, 46.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for grading beans, the combination of a vertically. arranged series of perforated members, the perforations being graduated as to width with the larger perforations in the upper member and the smaller perforations in the lower member, means for directing beans passing through the perforations in one member to the next lower member, an endless traveling trough movable around the perimeter of said means in which beans that cannot pass through the perforations of a member are collected, said troughs having collapsible sectional bottoms for discharging beans therefrom, and means for agitating the beans on said members.

2. A machine for grading bean pods comprising the combination of a frame, a vertical shaft journaled therein, means for rotating said shaft, a series of frusto-conical plates securedto said shaft in spaced relation and each provided with a plurality of radial slots, a series of funnels fixed in the frame between the respective plates of said series, each funnel having a central opening adjacent the upper central portion of the plate next beneath it, a plurality of annular troughs positioned to receive pods from the lower edges of said plates, and means for revolving said troughs.

- 3. A machine for grading bean pods comprising the combination of a frame, a vertical sleeve journaled therein, means for rotating said sleeve,

a vertical shaft within said sleeve, driving connections between the sleeve and shaft such as to permit a limited longitudinal movement of the shaft with respect to the sleeve,'a series of frustoconical plates mounted in spaced relation on the sleeve and keyed to the shaft, each plate having a plurality of radial slots therein, a series of funnels fixed in the frame between the respective plates of said series, each funnel having a central opening adjacent the upper central portion of the plate next beneath it, a series of spiders fixed to the sleeve, annular troughs carried by said spiders in position to receive pods from the lower edges of said plates, and means for reciprocating the shaft within the sleeve.

'4. In a machine for grading beans, the combination of a vertically arranged series of perforated members, the perforations being graduated as to width with the larger perforations in the upper member and the smaller perforations in the lower member, devices for directing beans passing through the perforations in one member to the next lower member, and an endless traveling trough movable around the perimeter of each of said devices in which beans that cannot pass through the perforations of a member are collected, said troughs having collapsible sectional bottoms for discharging beans therefrom.

5. In a machine for grading beans, the combination of a vertically arranged series of perforated members, the perforations being graduated as to width with the larger perforations in the upper member and the smaller perforations in the lower member, devices for directing beans passing through the perforations in one member to the next lower member, and an endless traveling trough movable around the perimeter of each of said devices in which beans that cannot pass through perforations of a member are collected, and means for discharging beans from said troughs at predetermined points thereof.

6. A machine for grading bean pods comprising the combination of a frame, a vertical sleeve journaled therein, means for rotating said sleeve, a vertical shaft within said sleeve, driving connections between the sleeve and shaft such as to permit alimited longitudinal movement of the shaft with respect to the sleeve, a series of frustoconical plates mounted in spaced relation on the sleeve and keyed to the shaft, each plate having a plurality of radial slots therein, a series of funnels fixed in the frame between the respective the perforations of a member are collected, and

means for reciprocating the shaft within the sleeve.

BENJAMIN I. BUCK. 

